M*A*S*H: The Moon Is Not Blue

M*A*S*H: The Moon Is Not Blue
CBS
December 13, 1982
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Larry Balmagia's last M*A*S*H script was an early introduction for me to the concept of placebos and to the once controversial movie The Moon Is Blue, which actually didn't come out until July of '53.  Watching the episode now, I was amused that Charles knows Boston well enough that something being banned in that city doesn't necessarily mean much, and I would've liked to have had them show, not just refer to, High Noon, since Harry Morgan was in that (playing a character with a wife named Mildred as it happens).

Sandy Helberg, who was Gopher in the first Love Boat TV-movie, plays Corporal Bannister.  Hamilton Camp (this time as Maj. Frankenheimer), Jan Jorden (Nurse Baker), Jeff Maxwell (Straminsky), Kellye Nakahara (Yamato), Frank Slaten (Corpsman Frank), and Larry Ward (this time as Gen. Rothaker) return.

Soap: Episode 81

Soap: Episode 81
ABC
March 9, 1981
Dramedy
DVD
C+

So ABC brought back Soap in the coveted 10 p.m. on Mondays slot (previously occupied by the TV version of Foul Play, starring Barry Bostwick, and, no, I don't remember it either).  They aired back to back episodes, screwing up the numbering till the end.  IMDB does not agree with A.S. Berman's Soap book, which I recently purchased, but the former does have the correct air-dates.  My feeling on numbering is that, "one-hour special" or not, if Rod Roddy is asking questions after twenty-two minutes, then that's a discrete episode.

But definitely not discreet.  Jessica finds out that El has been seeing prostitutes because he's got a madonna-whore complex (not that either calls it that), and she tells him that if he can fool around, so can she.  (I'm not sure why she doesn't just kick him out, but then look how long it took with Chester.)  Meanwhile, Jodie and Maggie go to a co-ed bathhouse, where they get information sending them to a "minja" warrior training center in Malibu.  Burt, armed only with a gun and a bat (remember that detail), breaks into the house of the Godfather (not Richard Libertini but J.J. Barry, most notable for his two appearances as Janet's boss Mr. Compton on Three's Company) and captures him and everyone else, including Tibbs (Hamilton Camp again).

Guess who was winning Monday nights that Winter?

Mary is concerned about two of her sons.  (Well, she'd be concerned about Jodie, too, if she knew he ends up in a dungeon.).  She goes to see her doctor, not Dr. Saxon (who presumably has his hands full dealing with Danny), but Dr. Drell (Earl Boen), because she's seen baby Scotty fly.  And she tells Chester, one, he's Danny's father, and two, Danny needs his kidney.  Obviously, Chester is surprised.  (I can't remember if I was when I first saw this.)  We find out that Chester and Mary had sex every night for two weeks, but when she found out she was pregnant, he announced his engagement to Jessica.  The girls' mother was going to have Chester's father arrested for an at this point unknown crime, so she blackmailed Chester into marrying Jessica.

Note that Chester refers to 28 years, but I don't know if this is since she realized she was pregnant, or since Danny was born.  If Danny is 28 now, he can't be more than a year older than Jodie, and if he's 27 1/2, I'm really calling shenanigans on the timeline.  Jodie said at the time Carol seduced him that he was 25, and he later said he moved out of the house at 26.  He would have to be 27 by now, maybe even 28.  But then, look at Billy's fluctuating age.

H.B. Haggerty, who's Warrior No. 1, was The Hammer on The Bob Newhart Show.  James Saito, who plays Hiro, at this point had made three of his four M*A*S*H appearances.  The Major, Danny, Eunice, Dutch, Billy, Chuck, and Bob are all absent.  However you number this, it's the 81st episode and it aired in '81.

Three's Company: Furley vs. Furley

Three's Company: Furley vs. Furley
ABC
February 17, 1981
Sitcom
DVD
B-

We get to meet Ralph Furley's often spoken of brother Bart (Hamilton Camp) in this Baser & Weiskopf story and he turns out to be just as awful as Ralph said.  When the trio call him to ask him to give his brother more money for repairs, he instead fires Ralph.  When Jack tries to get Ralph's job back, Bart instead gives it to Jack.  Meanwhile, the kids reluctantly take Ralph in, since he regards them as his best and only friends.  (Plus he doesn't have any money.)

Biographical notes on the Furley family:

• Their mother is still alive and Bart is rude to her, too.
• It's unclear who's older, although Knotts was a decade older than Camp and looks it.
• As kids, Bart stole Ralph's Little Orphan Annie decoder ring, implying among other things that the age difference would be much less than ten years.
• Here and in the episode with Jack's brother, it's implied that Ralph and Bart don't have any other brothers, but I don't know if they have sisters.
• In an early episode, Ralph told Bart off on the phone, including insults of his wife, kids, and "mangy dog," none of whom are mentioned here, although if I recall correctly we'll meet Ralph's niece and nephew in future episodes.
• Bart used to be claustrophobic, till he bought a building with an elevator in it.
• Ralph knows all sorts of health and safety codes that Bart has violated, but he won't tell the authorities if Bart cooperates.

Also note that despite all they do for him, Ralph doesn't seem to mind that Bart will be raising the rent on the trio.

Soap: Episode 69

Soap: Episode 69
ABC
March 27, 1980
Dramedy
DVD
B-

Harris & Silver wrote this one-hour season finale, which has everyone, including both Benson and Saunders.  The former shows up at Jessica's deathbed, where the various men in love with her are gathered, but the love and friendship between Jessica and Benson feels more real.  And there's a sweet segment where Mary and Jessica talk about their relationship, including arguing over whether Jessica is a year younger or older than Mary.  (Mary just seems like an older sister.)  Then Mary, who earlier in the episode tries to tell Burt about the uncertain paternity of her baby, goes into labor.

I would've gone with a B or B+ but other threads are weaker, and yes, Dutch sobs and Leslie threatens suicide and homicide.  Elmore Tibbs (Hamilton Camp in his first of two appearances) has his two goons rough up Burt and Danny because the new sheriff closed down Tibbs's massage parlors, and he's going to have the unconscious Burt and Danny posed for blackmail pictures with "the girls."  I like Camp but, as I said before, this is one of my least favorite plot threads.

Meanwhile, Danny proposes to Polly in a restaurant, but she doesn't think he can handle people's reactions to their relationship.  Corinne and Eunice want Dutch to decide between them.  These are OK threads, although I didn't like how they were resolved.

The custody trial thread remains strong, with Carol's mother (whose name turns out to be Earlene) joining in on the perjury.  Jodie is so shocked and angry that he throws a fit in the courtroom and then storms out.  And between the two David women's testimony, he maintains his dignity while the opposing lawyer makes personal remarks about his sex life.

Sheldon Feldner, who plays a Bailiff here, would be Deputy Perkins for five episodes in the next season.

As for this season, I gave B-s to 19 out of 22 episodes, C+s to the rest, so I'd say it's not a bad season at all, despite its flaws.  The fourth season is, as I recall, where the sharks swarmed, but maybe it'll turn out to be not as bad as I think, just not as good as what came before.

M*A*S*H: Major Topper

M*A*S*H: Major Topper
CBS
March 27, 1978
Dramedy
DVD
C+

Allyn Freeman's only M*A*S*H script has an unfinished feel to it.  There's the "placebo" thread, where we find out that it works on half of the patients and then is forgotten about.  There's the "Charles bragging" thread, which sort of ends with him proving he once had dinner with Audrey Hepburn (who wasn't particularly well known at the time).  And there's the "guy even crazier than Klinger" thread, which is sort of resolved, but without anyone apologizing to Klinger for thinking that he was responsible for the man.  (Unusually, Klinger shares his tent with someone, but I think only so that he can find out the guy talks to his shoes and socks.)  The successful Section Eighter is Corporal "Boots" Miller, played by Hamilton Camp, in his first of two M*A*S*H roles.

Donald Blackwell, who was Johnson on What's Happening!! is Graham here.  Andrew Bloch (this time Saxton) and Kellye Nakahara (Yamato) return.

This wraps up Season Six and, yes, the episode aired a month after the previous one.  I don't remember why the Spring '78 episodes of various shows (except for Soap) were staggered, but that year some didn't wrap up until April or even May.  As for M*A*S*H, this is certainly a less memorable season-closer than some of the previous years.  The season as usual averages out to B-, with a range of C- to B+.  Things definitely feel more mature with Charles instead of Frank, but that doesn't make every episode a classic, or even near-classic.  I wish there were more of Radar, but having him present is no guarantee of quality either.